Overload release



Oct.V I, 1946. F. J. WRIGHT OVERLOAD RELEASE FiledAug. 16,1944 2 sheets-sheet 1 Oct; 1, 1946.A

F. J. WRIGHT ovERLoAD RELEASE Filed Aug. 16, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheefl 2 INVENTOR;

Patented Oct. 1, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OVERLOAD RELEASE Fred J. Wright, Upper Arlington, Ohio, assignor,

by mesne assignments, to The Jeirey kManufacturng Company, a corporation of Ohio Application August 16, 1944, Serial No. 549,767

` (ci. 19a-'56) l 7 Claims.

This invention' relates employed between a driving and driven member, andan object thereof is to provide an improved device of thisY type, which is simple in construction, easily re-set after operating and which does not involve the loss of any metal parts in operation. Y

A further object of the invention is to provide an overload release employing substantially noncompressible lubricant in they form of grease which can be readilyr inserted into a chamber by a grease kgun and which when operated, preferably ejects the grease' to the `outside of the overload release mechanism-where`v the grease acts to lubricate bearing surfaces between the driving and driven members.r

Another'object of the. invention is to provide an improved overload release mechanism, employing a substantially .non-compressible fluid, in which Aa plurality of pistons or plungers are actuatedwhen the release is operative.

vA further object of the invention is to provide an overload'release in which the load at whichv the release operates, maybe readily adjusted.l

. Otherobjects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the novel features and combinations being set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is an elevational view with parts in section, showing a sprocket and associated driveV shaft incorporating my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 f of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

a part of a sprocket which ismerely one form in which it may be employed, `since obviously it may be used for connecting a wide'variety of driving and driven members. n

The sprocket I includes a rim I I mounted upon a disctype wheel I2 and preferably lformed integral therewith. The wheel or disc AI2 isrotatably Y mountedon a hub I3 which isvkeyed to a shaft I4. To maintain the wheel I2 of the hub I3, said wheel I2 is providedwith a cylindrical bearing surface I5 which rides on a bearing surface proto an overload release '2 Y vided by the outer peripheral ring portion I6 o the hub I3. That is, the outer peripheral surface of the ring portion I6 has a cylindrical bearing surface-which receives the inner cylindrical bearingsurface I5 of the wheel I2.

To maintain these surfaces in proper contact, or, in other words, to hold the wheel I2 on the hub I3, the inner peripheral portion of said wheel I2 is provided with an integral cylindrical ring I] which overlaps one side of the peripheral ring IB. The othervside of the peripheral ring I6 is overlapped bya removable `ring I8 removably connected to the inner portion of the wheel I2 by machine screws I9. Obviously, the ring I8 permits removal of the wheel I2 from the hub I3 Aand forms, when assembled, a part of said wheel I2.

The wheel I2 may be considered as a driving member and the hub I3 as a driven member although, obviously, a reverse condition may exist and the overload release mechanism operates substantially the same, regardless of which is the driving and which is the driven member. Y

Spaced about the circumference of the bearing l`urfacc I5 is a plurality of notches 28, there being three such notches illustrated in the drawings, though the number may be increased kor decreased, as desired. These notches 20 provide cam surfaces on the interior portion of the wheel 2 into which--co-operating cam surfaced heads 2| of. pistons 22 extend. As illustrated in the drawings, the pistons 22 extend radially and are spaced equally about the periphery of the hub I3.

Each of the pistons 22 is received in a radial cylinder or cylindrical bore 23 provided in the hub I3, the three cylinders 23 being connected at their bottoms by a circumferential chamber 24 which preferably extends completely around the hub I3.

To maintain each of the pistons 22 in driving relation so that the cam surfaces 2| extend into cooperating cam surfaces of notches 2E). the chamber 24 is completely filled ywith a fluid which is preferably essentially non-compressible. The

preferredfluid which I employ is a grease which can be inserted by a grease gun and therefore is very readily available and provides means for easy re-establishment of the driving connection be-l tween the driving member and the driveny grease land a grease gun are commonly available Y around practically all machinery. In the second place, grease can be readily inserted into the chamber 24 by simple and generally available mechanism. In the third place, when the overload release operates I prefer, in the complete aspect of my invention, to employ the discharged grease for lubricating the bearingsurface l5 and.

the co-operating bearing surface on the outer periphery of the ring I5.

To provide for filling the chamber 24 with. grease, a grease lling passageway 25 extends therefrom to a grease tting 25 on the outside of the hub I3. The grease tting 26 is of standard construction and is adapted to receive a grease gun and has a check valvev builtv therein in accordance with standard practice, so that when the pistons 22 are in their driving positions, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the chamber 24 and passageway 25 may be completely filled with grease and thus lock said pistonsv 22 in place under-a pressure relief valve now t'obe described.

To provide the overload release, there is in communication with the chamber 24 an adjustable high pressure relief valve 2'! which includes a ball check 28 adapted to be pressed against a seat in a port communicating with the passageway 24. l

Pressure is applied to the ball 28 by a spring 29 which at its outer end bears against a screwthreaded head 39 and at its inner end bears against a shoulder of a spring guide 3l, When the ball 28 is lifted in response to a predetermined pressure in the chamber 24 communicated thereto in response to an overload by the fluid grease, the grease can flow through a pair of bores or passageways 32 which extend to the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral ring l5. Thus, the grease which is forced out from the passageway 24 in response to an overload is ejected to the outside of the overload release mechanism and will lubricate the bearing surfaces provided between the wheel l2 and the hub i3. f

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings I have illustrated another form of overload release between a driving member and a driven member In this construction, the driving member is, in the form of a sprocket 33 having a rim 34 and a wheel 35, the inner peripheral portion of which is provided with a cylindrical bearing surface 36 which rides on an outer peripheral ring 31 of a hub 38 keyed to a shaft 39. The wheel is held on the hub 38 by a pair of spaced rings 49 which are removably attached to the wheel 35 by spaced machine screws 4 l.

In this construction there is a grease chamber 42 which extends entirely around the hub 31 and is located at the approximate center thereof, for a purpose hereinafter pointed out. A grease filling passageway 43 extends from a grease. litting 44 to the chamber 42. the grease fitting 44 being of the same construction as the greasey fitting 26.

(3o-operating with the passageway 42. is a pressure relief valve 45 which is generally similar in structure and function to the relief valve 21. It provides for a release of the grease from the chamber 42 to a pair of passageways 46 (see Fig. 4) which lead to the outside of the overload mechanism and to the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral ring 3'! and to the bearing surface 36, The bearing surface 3B is really two axially spaced surfaces separated by a peripheral groove 4l which provides for free passage of the discharged grease around the entire periphery of the spaced surfaces 36. Any excess grease may be discharged axially to opposite sides of the hub 38 by relief passageways 48 (see Fig. 5) formed on opposite sides of the hub 38. It is evident by reference to Fig. 5 of the drawings that the chamber 42 is oifset slightly from its central position adjacent the relief valve V45.

-In the forni of the release mechanism illustrated in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings, I employ a plurality of pistons 49 which are'contained in opposite sides of axial cylinders or bores 59 which extend completely through the peripheral ring 3l of the hub 38. These cylinders or bores 59 extend parallel' with the axis of the shaft 39 or,v in. other words, with the axis of rotation of each intersects or communicates with the chamber 42 substantially at its center. Furthermore, each bore '59 contains a pair of pistons 49, the bases of which normally face each other and each is exposed directly to the grease sealed within thechamber 42, Y

Each of the pistons 49 is provided with a cam surfaced head 5| which extends into a co-operating cam or notch 52, there being a plurality of said cams or notches 52 formed on each ofthe rings 49. Obviously, the driving connection providedY between the cam surfaces 5I and 52 provides' a driving relation between the driving and driven members 35 and 33.

As illustrated in connection with the lower right-hand piston 49 in Fig. 6 of the drawings, the load under which the release mechanism operates Vmay be adjusted over a wide range by the simple expedient o-f reversing the position of a piston 49 in the cylinder or bore 59'. For example, said lower right-hand piston 49 of Fig. 6, has its cam surfaced head 5l extending inwardly rather than extending outwardlyl and as a consequence it provides no driving connection between the wheely 35 and the hub 38 but it does performthe function of filling the, lower portion of the right-hand cylinder 59, as viewed in Fig. 6v of the drawings.

ObviouslyY by reversing different numbers of pistons 49 the load under which the release mechanism operates may be variably adjusted and this is particularly true where there are a number of pistons 49 employed. In the illustration of the device in Fig. 4 it is evident that there are two pistons 49 to each cylinder or bore 55 and there are six bores, thus providing for twelve such pistons, any number between 1 and 12` of which may provide the driving relation between the wheel 35 and hub 38.

The action of the devices of` both modifications is essentially the same except in that of Figs. l, 2 and 3 the pistons move radially inwardly in response to an overload, and in that of Figs. 4, 5 and 6 the pistons move axially in response to an overload. In each case, under normal conditions, the pistons are in their outermost positions and the chambers 24 and 42 are filled. with grease. When an overload is encountered, the driving member which, for illustrative purposes, is considered as the wheel l2 or 35, rotates with respect to the hub I3 or 35. The camming ac,- tion between the surfaces 20 and. 2l in the one instance and 5I and 52 in the other instance,

causes inward movement of the pistons 22 andv 49., respectively, forcing the substantially noncompressible grease. out against the action of the relief valves 2.1 and 45, respectively, the grease flowing to the bearing surfaces between the ringsand hubs to grease or lubricate them.

After the overload condition has been correct-A ed, the notches 26 and 5I are aligned with the pistons 22 and 49 and a grease gun applied to the fitting 2S or M, and the chamber 24 or 42 and all communicating passageways are again filled with grease, forcing the pistons 22 or 49 into their driving positions, as illustrated in the various gures of the drawings.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as deiined by the claims hereto appended, and I therefore wish not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed. i

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United .States is:

l. An overload release mechanism including a driving member and a driven member mounted i one on theother for relative rotation, overload release mechanism connecting said members, said mechanism including a plunger and a co-operating recess, said plunger working into a chamber lled with grease, a passageway leading from said chamber to contacting surfaces between saiddriving and driven members, and a relief valve oper-r able under predetermined pressure to provide for flow of grease from said chamber and through said passageway.

2. An overload release mechanism including a driving member and a driven member mounted for relative rotation on a common axis, overload release mechanism connecting said members, said mechanism including a pair of aligned plungers positioned to one side of said'axis and co-operating recesses, said plungers working into a chamber lled with grease, and a relief valve operable under predetermined pressure within said chamber to provide for ilow of grease from saidchamber to contacting bearing surfaces between said driving members.

3. An overload release mechanism including a driving member and a driven member mounted for relative rotation, overload release mechanism connecting said members, said mechanism including a plunger and a co-operating recess, said plunger working Yinto a chamber lled with grease, a pressureresponsive relief valve operable Linder predetermined pressure within said chamber to provide for flow of grease from said chamber to the outside of said overload release mechanism, and means providing for recharging said 4, A sprocket including a hub, a wheel mounted thereon for relative rotation therewith, means providing a releasable driving connection between said hub and wheel, said means including a chamber in said hub, a plurality ofpistons eX- tending radially from said hub and having cam surfaces co-operating with cam surfaces on said wheel, said pistons being spaced radially about said hub and each extending into said chamber, a pressure responsive relief valve communicating with said chamber and leading to a passageway extending to common bearing surfaces between said hub and wheeL- and ,lubricating material filling said chamber and releasably holding said pistons to provide a driving connection between said hub and wheel.

5. A sprocket including a hub, a wheel mounted lthereon for relative rotation therewith, means providing a releasable driving connection between said hub and wheel, said means including a chamber in said hub, a plurality of pistons extending axially from said hub and having cam surfaces co-operating with cam surfaces on said wheel, said pistons being spaced radially about said hub and each extending into said chamber, a pressure responsive relief valve communicating withY said chamber, and a substantially noncompressible uid filling said chamber and releasably holding said pistons t0 provide a driving fluid to flow from said chamber in response to a chamber with grease after said overload release mechanism has operated including a valve positioned externally of said overload release mechanism.

predetermined load on said wheel.

7. VAn overload release mechanism including a driving member and a, driven member mounted one on the other for relative rotation, overload release mechanism connecting said members, said mechanism including a plunger and a cooperating recess, said plunger working into a chamber filled with lubricant, a passageway leading from said chamber to contacting surfaces between said driving and driven members, and a relief valve operable under predetermined pressure to provide for iiow of lubricantfrom said chamber and through said passageway.

FRED J. WRIGHT. 

